Padlocks are used outdoors on vehicles, boats, and elsewhere to lock up articles such as vehicle spare tire, bicycles and other articles. Any padlock that is left outdoors can be ruined in a short time by mud, sand, dirt, water, rain or moisture. Mud can clog up the key slot of a key operated padlock. Water or moisture can get into the body portion of the padlock causing the parts of the lock mechanism to rust. The padlock can become tarnished and therefore unsightly. A rusty padlock can "freeze up" so that it cannot be unlocked. Many of the padlocks that are currently sold are brought as replacements for padlocks that have been rendered useless due to having been directly exposed to outdoor conditions in which they have been covered with mud, placed in water, or otherwise subjected to harmful elements.
It is the main object of the present invention to provide a case that is adapted to contain the body portion of a padlock that is to be used outdoors. The case serves to keep the padlock in good working condition when it is subject during normal use to mud, water, moisture, or the like.
The case provided by the present invention can be made in various forms and can include various features. The particular padlock described hereinafter is comprised of a container and a cover that removably mates with the container. The cover has two bevelled holes adapted to receive respective shackle legs of the padlock. A padlock body portion can be disposed within the container with the legs of the padlock's shackle extending through the holes in the cover to the outside of the case. The cover holes are sized to form a close fit between the shackle legs and the surrounding portions of the cover. The described padlock case includes several features that add to the utility of the case. One feature is flexible container walls having lips that act to hold the container onto the padlock body portion. Another feature is a container flange that fits into a flange on the case cover to form a seal between the cover and the container.
The above and other objects of the present invention and advantages and features of the invention will be made clear upon review of the following discussion of an embodiment of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.